It is a matter of great privilege and honour for me to express, on behalf of all the member delegations participating in this fruitful18thSAARC Summit, our sincere thanks and congratulations to you, Mr. Prime Minister and to the Government and friendly people of Nepal, for the overwhelming welcome and generous hospitality extended to us, during our stay in Nepal.

I would also like to commend Nepal for assuming the Chairmanship of SAARC.

Mr. Chairman,

The 18th SAARC Summit has reaffirmed our resolve to create an inclusive, just and equitable partnership for peace, development and prosperity under the platform of SAARC. We must adopt a realistic, pragmatic and step by step approach towards solution of issues which will open up new channels of cooperation.

Mr. Chairman,

I would like to congratulate our Foreign Ministers, Foreign Secretaries and other officials, who have so efficiently set the stage for the successful conclusion of this important Summit.

Let me also convey our sincere appreciation to the SAARC Secretary General and his capable team for the excellent work done by them, to make this Summit a success. We are also grateful to the SAARC Observer Delegations from important partner countries for participation in the Summit. We appreciate their commitment to our region.

Finally, I would once again take this opportunity to collectively express our sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister of Nepal, Government of Nepal and the people of Nepal, for extending a warm welcome and memorable hospitality to all of us in Kathmandu.

We look forward to welcoming you in Islamabad, for the 19thSAARC Summit in 2016.